#fenixtj

The Troll soaks then turns, and sees the little DOnkey girl. And unlike Magnus, he does not dismiss her as just a childling "Well, hello. Did you want the spa ? I can get up."

Zara lightly touches August's arm. "Aye. We have done a mitzvah, nu? And you, and Earl, and 1122... we all made it home safe. This is a blessing, aye?"

"A blessing on you. And your bellybutton." The Sidhe agrees soberly.

A soft groan at the 'belly word' from Earl

"But not yours, Earl. I am sorry."

"Sokay" he mutters "It'll take a bit but I'll be all right"

"Of course you will."

She touches August's cheek and smiles. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I will leave you to rest."

"Good night, rest well."

In the baths, Ramona has hopped up on the edge of Jonas' soaking tub and is trying to bat the water with one paw.

She blushes a bit and shakes her head. "My friends came to see you and your lodestone. I missed it because I was reading. I miss a lot of adventures that way... but I get stories of my own to share, which is just as good." Salma slips through the door and sits on the edge of the pools. "Did you have your adventure? Will you write it in a book for some one to read someday?"

(Shortly after August withdraws to clean up and make a phone call and then rest, a helpful staff member delivers to Zara a collected works of Emily Dickenson. To pass the time with.)

"The one you want is Caspian, he's an eshu... he tells tales." Jonas says then he considers "Though I do know a writer"

"Sometimes Eshu tales are too long, they get lost along the way when I want to find out how it ends. Story tellers will try to tell you that it's all part of a bigger story, but -I- know that there's nothing better than the end of a good book, all neat and tidied up with happilies or sadlies for the ever afters. " Her own tail gives a bit of a twitch, a yellow ribbon on the end.

"Maybe the end of a churro comes close. The last bite is the best." A nod.

Jonas says "You're a literate and erudite young lady, aren't you? " He says "Pardon, I'm being rhetorical. I'll be honest, some of the story is VERY ugly, very dark, I don't know if a childlilng needs or should know all that happened"

She shakes her head. "I haven't finished the shelves I can reach yet. It sounds like you need to put yours on a top shelf. But you must promise to write it down. Even the ugly stories are important. I never would have learned how to fix the finger I cut off, if someone who already learned how to fix ugly wounds hadn't written a story about it." And indeed, the finger she holds up is quite intact.

"But... what happened to your LEG?" She asks, peering at him. "Do you need more bubbles in the water? I could ask Senor Fontaine..."

"Senor FOntaine has been quite considerate " He says "I am no writer, at least, not good at entertaining, but I will have it written down for you. When you are 18 and a wilder, I will make sure you can read it. I am in the debt of the young ladies here and you are a companion to them so you are also a recipeient. As for the leg.. well, have you ever heard of Rodents of Unusual size?"

She thinks about this for a moment. "There are very big ratas at the fields during harvest, they eat up all the scraps. But the dogs are bigger still, and keep them away from the crops. Did you go down into a rat's burrow, Senor Troll with the hidden Story?"

"No, we went into the docks, not the beach, but the place where cargo is more valued than the men who store it. In the under belly of cement and gravel , like a dungeon where no prisoners linger. The rats were larger than most dogs... the ones I saw, but it turned out they were victims of the dark magic of Tantalaus, who set them upon the maze of stone to clear of unwelcome eyes such as mine. He twisted and warped them so badly, only a white witch and, oddly,disney tunes, could free them"

"And they are the ones who chewed on my leg, had the witch and her friends not found me, i surely would have died"

"Disney, no es broma? You would not try to trick a pooka now, would you?"

"I would not, there are good rules to follow in this world besides the Escheat. One rule is never start a land war in asia, antoher involves Sicilians in games of Death... but the other? Never ever invite a prank war with a pooka. " Jonas says

She nods to him. "You are wise, senor. Your story is filled with riddles. Maybe it is a puzzle, and once I hear more pieces I will see the picture."

"This is actually one of the less dark chapters, and I will share it with you if you insist. "

She plops down on the edge of the pool, just out of splash range, and nods. "I do, and as most probably third in line to be declares Condesa after the others, you must obey." Pulling out a sock from her pocket that she wanted to fix a hole in - though she also finds a scrap of yarn, and dangles this for Ramona. "Do not worry, I rule with a tiny hoof. Now, Tonto, he would be the heavy leader."

Bat-bat-bat!

Jonas admires the kitten, then says "Then I shall tell you..." And while no story teller, he does give a pretty amazing story...for it involves him near death, a witch casting a 'mysterious spell' that turned the Rodents of Unusual Size became Rodents of Repentant Song"

She listens very well for a pooka, rather than interrupting with her own interpretation or adding in color commentary as many might! No, she wants to hear it, and insists on the song, as much as he can remember, no less than three times.

"The pale lady!" Ellie exclaims from her spot by the door.

Jonas turns "Yes, the pale lady's anger was a just anger" he nods

"Oh!" Salma turns, and gives a disappointed raspberry at Ellie. "You spoiled the surprise, I was just inventing a new story to tell you."

"Oh you've GOT to teach the song" Ariel blurts

then blushes as she bumps into Ellie's back

But, she doesn't actually look upset, and moves over to make room!

"I missed the start, you'll have to read it." She crosses over to join her friend. "Hello! Did the magnet help?"

"It saved a life" A nod

"It was my turn to meet your magical disappearing Troll." Scooping up Ramona, the kitten is plopped into Ellie's lap.

It takes some time, but he does ...eventually, relate the song as accurately as he possibly can

Salma looks a bit puzzled. "How did she convince the mean and cruel rats to become Disney mice? Is the Pale Witch an elvish beauty to say "Do" and they Must? Or did she bribe them with a magical cheese?"

She pets Ramona, and listens.

"Well, he said she was a witch."

"A Good witch, though. Or she would take the rats as minions and be their queen."

"Like Elsa. Elsa is magic AND a queen AND good."

"Some secrets are for witches alone to know" He says somberly "And I am not of their circle. "

She looks thoughtful, but nods. "You are not a Brujo? But you are a bird, Princesca tells, and she never would tell a lie, not to her Salma who keeps the stories."

"He was a bird!"

A nod to Jonas. "See, she says it, so it is so. You ARE a brujo."